In a secret cavern below the surface of Azeroth, playing mindgames with the Old Gods

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Expansion V - Concept Speculation

Hey there,

So now in the last two weeks before BlizzCon, many threads like these emerge, many of them claiming that the Burning Legion is next in line, because of Wrathion and whatnot.

But I say, the hints we got point more heavily into the direction of an expansion based upon Azshara and N'Zoth.

Now, all of this is speculative and nothing confirmed, but I wanted it to get out there before any huge leaks appear and the majority can say "Yeah sure, you knew it all beforehand, stop kidding us and yourself, yadayada".

My concept for the next expansion would look like this:

----------------------------------

Patch 6.0:
It would start with Azshara raising Nazjatar and other parts of the oceanfloor up to the surface, the first step in her masterplan to finally conquer Azeroth and rule over it.

Questing would be a choice between one mostly underwater-based route, and one mostly land-based route, so those that hated Vashj'ir have an alternative route to quest through, although both routes would feature underwater and land zones/parts of zones, but each more heavily than the other.
Heroics:
1-2 Zandalari, which are going to set up the first raid of the tier.
1 Makrura, featuring their city of Mak'aru
1 Bloodsail Buccaneers
1 Tomb of Sargeras
1-2 revamped Dungeons into Level 100 Heroics -> Blackfathom Deeps & [Wailing Caverns OR Temple of Atal'Hakkar]

Raids:
1. Abyssal Maw; 2-4 Bosses, with Ozumat as the penultimate, and the corrupted Neptulon the Tidehunter as the last Boss.
2. Zuldazar; 6 (7 for heroic) Bosses, with Prophet Zul as the last Boss, and a revived Hakkar as the heroic-only Boss of this tier.
3. ???; 4-6 Bosses, probably involving Faceless ones

Rift of Aln Raid; 12 Bosses, with N'Zoth as the last Boss of this Tier

Patch 6.4:
Nazjatar Raid; 14 Bosses, with Queen Azshara as the last Boss of this Tier and the expansion.

6.1 & 6.3 being filler patches with a few Scenarios, setting up the next big Raid patches, continuing the story of the expansion.

-----------------------------------

Now, I know many people would love an Emerald dream expansion with Azshara/N'Zoth as the big baddies, but the majority of the Nightmare has been dealt with, except for the sealed off Rift. Now with the Aspects losing their powers, this seal might've been broken by N'Zoth, and we need to venture into this specific part of the Dream, helped and guided by the remnants of the green Dragonflight and the Cenarion Circle.

I think that Queen Azshara as the main big baddie and N'Zoth being number 2, is way more probable than an Old God being the one all the attention is focused on. Similar to WotLK, where Ulduar and Yogg'Saron was 3.1, although you may argue that Yoggy was/is more powerful than the Lich King, but the expansion was focused on the LK and not the strongest enemy we would face during the patch cycle.

I could even imagine that Azshara has cut her bonds with the Old Gods, or at least does so when we defeat N'Zoth and allying herself with the Legion - but not so foolishly like she did during the WotA, but wanting and being promised a leadership position in the post-invasion Azeroth - and when we finally confront her in the last raid, out of desperation in the moment she is about to lose, she opens up a portal to allow the Burning Legion access to Azeroth.

This would then be a perfect lead-in to expansion VI, where we have to face the Invasion of the Burning Legion.

NOTE: This is a work in progress, so over the next few days I'm going to expand on this framework, adding in more lore for the filler patches, possible raid bosses etc.

Now, please try and don't turn this into a thread where the Legion fanboys and the South Seas fanboys bash each other, throwing with "facts" why the other side is so wrong about what is coming next, etc. etc.
Hope this remains a constructive thread about possible next expansion ideas as long as possible.

Last edited by Malakh; 2013-10-30 at 04:53 PM.

Still amazes me every single time how people are capable of mixing up the same words over and over again. There; Their; They're - Know; No; Now - Have; Of \\\\ ...coincidence? on purpose? saving letters/typing time? or some small creatures living in the internet, spending their time messing up entries? It will forever be an enigma...

So now in the last two weeks before BlizzCon, many threads like these emerge, many of them claiming that the Burning Legion is next in line, because of Wrathion and whatnot.

But I say, the hints we got point more heavily into the direction of an expansion based upon Azshara and N'Zoth.

Now, all of this is speculative and nothing confirmed, but I wanted it to get out there before any huge leaks appear and the majority can say "Yeah sure, you knew it all beforehand, stop kidding us and yourself, yadayada".

My concept for the next expansion would like this:

----------------------------------

Patch 6.0:
It would start with Azshara raising Nazjatar and other parts of the oceanfloor up to the surface, the first step in her masterplan to finally conquer Azeroth and rule over it.

Heroics:
1-2 Zandalari, which are going to set up the first raid of the tier.
1 Makrura, featuring their city of Mak'aru
1 Bloodsail Buccaneers
1 Tomb of Sargeras
1-2 revamped Dungeons into Level 100 Heroics -> Blackfathom Deeps & [Wailing Caverns OR Temple of Atal'Hakkar]

Raids:
1. Abyssal Maw; 2-4 Bosses, with Ozumat as the penultimate, and the corrupted Neptulon the Tidehunter as the last Boss.
2. Zuldazar; 6 (7 for heroic) Bosses, with Prophet Zul as the last Boss, and a revived Hakkar as the heroic-only Boss of this tier.
3. ???; 4-6 Bosses, probably involving Faceless ones

Rift of Aln Raid; 12 Bosses, with N'Zoth as the last Boss of this Tier

Patch 6.4:
Nazjatar Raid; 14 Bosses, with Queen Azshara as the last Boss of this Tier and the expansion.

6.1 & 6.3 being filler patches with a few Scenarios, setting up the next big Raid patches, continuing the story of the expansion.

-----------------------------------

Now, I know many people would love an Emerald dream expansion with Azshara/N'Zoth as the big baddies, but the majority of the Nightmare has been dealt with, except for the sealed off Rift. Now with the Aspects losing their powers, this seal might've been broken by N'Zoth, and we need to venture into this specific part of the Dream, helped and guided by the remnants of the green Dragonflight and the Cenarion Circle.

I think that Queen Azshara as the main big baddie and N'Zoth being number 2, is way more probable than an Old God being the one all the attention is focused on. Similar to WotLK, where Ulduar and Yogg'Saron was 3.1, although you may argue that Yoggy was/is more powerful than the Lich King, but the expansion was focused on the LK and not the strongest enemy we would face during the patch cycle.

I could even imagine that Azshara has cut her bonds with the Old Gods, or at least does so when we defeat N'Zoth and allying herself with the Legion - but not so foolishly like she did during the WotA, but wanting and being promised a leadership position in the post-invasion Azeroth - and when we finally confront her in the last raid, out of desperation in the moment she is about to lose, she opens up a portal to allow the Burning Legion access to Azeroth.

This would then be a perfect lead-in to expansion VI, where we have to face the Invasion of the Burning Legion.

NOTE: This is a work in progress, so over the next few days I'm going to expand on this framework, adding in more lore for the filler patches, possible raid bosses etc.

Now, please try and don't turn this into a thread where the Legion fanboys and the South Seas fanboys bash each other, throwing with "facts" why the other side is so wrong about what is coming next, etc. etc.
Hope this remains a constructive thread about possible next expansion ideas as long as possible.

Not bad, well I'm a 'sea content' lover so whether it'll be Maelstrom/Azshara, or South Seas/Kul Tiras/Tomb of Sargeras, or both, it'll still be the best wow thematic environment to me since vanilla. That's just themes & aesthetics/lore though, that's not actual gameplay & mechanics.

Haha I'm surprised there's actually Legion Expansion & South Seas Expansion Fan Wars rofl, it's pretty ironic considering South Seas includes not just troll isles & tropical atolls, but also ancient kaldorei ruins submerged during The Sundering, aka strong connection to both Queen Azshara, thus Old Gods, but also to the Legion, and therefore Draenor, and Illidan, not to mention Sargeras (his 'Tomb' is over there as well..)

One thing that's nearly guaranteed is v6.0 won't be another continent 'risen out of nowhere' (I know, pandaria was always there..hidden..but still) in say, the seas west of Kalimdor or east of Eastern Kingdoms, since it's like, -right- after MoP, would be too repetitive, and.. ..that Turalyon/Alleria are definitely due to make their appearance in the game finally. They're tied to Outland, to fighting the Legion, to Sylvanas/Vereesa/Silvermoon City, to the Alliance military, to paladins ; They'd fit in w/ South Seas/Great Sea/Kul Tiras/Tomb of Sargeras/Unexplored Draenor content given that's more alliance-themed than horde-themed & they are alliance heroes, which would nicely counterbalance the last bout of horde-centric narratives in 5.4 & most of Cataclysm..

I'm not a fan of any idea that takes the Emerald Dream and puts it as a smaller zone instead of a full continent. Don't get me wrong, there are good ideas here, but I think Blizzard would be silly not to introduce the Dream as a full continent at some point (as new landmasses are certainly at a premium)

Pre-Expanion event:
5.4.X Following the Siege of Orgimmar, and the imprisonment of Garrosh Hellscream, a tenuous cease fire is declared by High King Varian Wrynn. With the establishing of Vol'jin as Warchief of the Horde, Thrall, Vol'Jin, Baine Bloodhoof, and Lor'Themar Theron are primarily focused with the complete removal of the Hellscream War Machine, as well as the isolation of the Heart of Y'Shaarj. Wrathion, intrigued by the message received when consuming Lei Shen's heart, and in possession of Titan technology, has employed the help of his champions in the search and repair of the [Watcher's Transceiver], a device that can be used only in dire emergencies to contact the Pantheon. Wrathion sends his champions to all of the known Titan facilities in order to find the Transceiver, to no avail. Through a surprising turn of events, Kalecgos realizes his discovery of the Transceiver’s location through the events of Dawn of the Aspects, being a tool in the possession of Tyr. Tyr then reveals himself to Wrathion after the retrieval of the gadget, and instructs him and his champions to travel to Mogu'Shun Palace. Using the Engine of Nalak'Sha, Wrathion repairs the Transciever, and takes it to the Halls of Origination. Using the power of the Reorigination machine, Wrathion sends out a signal to the Pantheon requesting their aid against the Burning Legion. Shortly after, the first infernals land, and the third invasion of the Burning Legion begins.

6.0: The Maker's Flame (The Third Invasion)
Defense of Azeroth (levels 90-92)
Azeroth's forces are spread thin across the land and all mortal, dragon, and terrestrial based titan technology employed against the Demons, led by Kil'Jaeden. Wrathion, the High King, the Council of Durotan, and Tyr discuss possible tactics atop the Halls of Reorigination, Wrathion exclaims suddenly that the transciever is glowing in a myriad of colors. Algalon the Champion of Life (instead of Observer) translocates after Wrathion activates the transceiver to the astonishment of all. After collecting information from the leaders and the present Titanic watchers, he modifies the Reorigination engine to send out a terrific beam of energy at a cluster of Burning Legion forces flying down to Azeroth, buying them some time. Algalon informs the champions and leaders of Azeroth that he was unable to find the Pantheon's capitol mothership, the Crown of Aman'Thul, and was also unable to reach them. He suspects that they have either receded from the universe long ago or are cosmically distant (very, very far away). With the sincerest petitions of Wrathion, Algalon commits himself to the preservation of life on Azeroth, and to that end, will aid Wrathion and all of the mortal heroes on Azeroth on a quest to find the Pantheon. Wrathion, Prophet Velen, Anduin, Thrall, Tyr, and Algalon set out with the Heroes along with a small contigent of Alliance and Horde special forces and supplies through the Dark Portal, leaving the defense of Azeroth to the remaining leaders.
Interdimensional Travel (levels 92-96)
The newly formed group heads to Shattrath to consult A'dal. The leader of the Naaru, through an inspiring speech, informs the heroes that the best way to find the Titans would be to use the trans-dimensional fortress, Tempest Keep, to travel throughout the Universe as an Army of Light in their search of the Titans. Augmented with Titan technology, and blessed with the presence of the Naaru warrior/pilot Xi’ri, the Eye departs from its station over Auchindoun, while the Botanica and Mechanar are sent to Azeroth to aid in the defense. Planet hopping ensues, with visits to uninhabited wastlelands, inhabitated jungle planets, the shadow of K’aresh, Xoroth, and a multitude of other planets.
The Infiltration of Argus (96-98)
Only after visiting a planet that houses Titan technology and a failed version of Shalozar Basin/Un’goro do the heroes find the trail. Through reports and logs stored by Titanic workers, it is found that a watcher was only “recently” (~15000 years ago) abducted by the Burning Legion and taken to Argus. Wrathion immediately proposes an incursion, which Anduin vehemently refutes, calling it, “Madness that could only come from the spawn of the Worldbreaker”. Algalon informs the Leaders that he could take a few heroes from the Keep down to the surface of Argus as a task force to gain intelligence about the Burning Legion and possible whereabouts of the Titans. After infiltrating the planet and disabling the major defenses of the Legion around the Watcher’s Cell, with only a few isolated and close calls/battles, the heroes assault the prison and free the watcher (Nyria). The watcher then joins the Army of Light as a counselor, and the leaders discuss the next move. With the combined knowledge of Algalon, Tyr, and the new Watcher, they are able to alter Tyr’s octahedral device which starts a cinematic. In the in-game cinematic (Wrathgate-esque), Algalon creates a starmap, while Nyria uses Tyr’s device as a compass. A rainbow light point floats up and bathes a certain star on the fringes of the universe that is in the “danger” zone, which signifies the world’s consumed by the Burning Legion. With restored hope and confidence, the Keep prepares for the journey ahead through the Nether to reach the system.
The Eternal Task (98-100)
Upon reaching the system, the leaders of the Army are incredibly surprised to see the system devoid of any Legion forces. Instead, they find a single, green and blue planet that looks startlingly like Azeroth. Orbiting the planet, the leaders decide what to do. Through the persuasion of Anduin and Wrathion, the players accompany them down to the planet while the Keep searches for the Crown of Aman’thul. As they descend to the planet, they are shocked to see familiar geographical features, such as the Storm Peaks, the Barrens as a lush forest, and even a young Elwynn Forest. Wrathion correctly concludes that this must be a second Azeroth, yet untouched any Sundering or Cataclysm, for the continent of Kalimdor is whole. Steering for the center of the landmass, they set down near the banks of a lake. Wrathion considers testing the waters, assuming it is a second Well of Eternity, but notices a lack of any magical energy. Players are sent out to a few nearby zones to look for any traces of the Titans, and the heroes find many Titan complexes in pristine condition, but no inhabitants. When the heroes return, Wrathion and Alduin are in some kind of stasis field, unable to move and accompanied by none other than Turalyon and Alleria Windrunner. Behind the pods stands a giant metallic figure cloaked in magical energies, who announces himself as none other than Aman’Thul. He threatens the heroes and Wrathion and Anduin of reorgination, but Wrathion is able to use his connection to his father to calm the Titan’s annoyance. The player is sent back to Tempest Keep to relay the news through a cinematic, and once Anduin and the heroes return they witness the arrival of the Crown of Aman’Thul, in all of its glory and gigantic size (the size of a small moon, perhaps). Shortly after, Aman’Thul translocates onto the bridge of the Keep and immediately starts to target all of the non-titan life. Algalon quickly begins to parlay with Aman’Thul, and is able to share his realization from Ulduar with him. Prophet Velen is on his knees, while Thrall and Tyr are completely frozen by the presence of the majestic deity. Aman’Thul explains that this was to be a new Azeroth, free of the corruption of the Old Gods and the problems that arose from the Well of Eternity. The party explains how their kind of life couldn’t have happened without it, and they make their claim for aid in defending true life. After pledging the aid of the Titans to the Army of Light, Tempest Keep and the Crown of Aman’Thul begin preparations to depart to Azeroth when the Burning Legion arrives at uncorrupted Azeroth and immediately begin to invade.

Daily Hub-Kalimdor Unbroken (centered around the repulsion and defense of the zones of Kalimdor on Azeroth 2.0

Reputations: The Pantheon, the Army of Light, K’aresh Resistance, the Glibbor, the Glabbor, the Knights of Tyr, the Astral Conviction.

With the second Azeroth saved from the twisted fel energies of the Burning Legion, the Crown of Aman’Thul and Tempest Keep return to Outland, only to find it under siege from the Burning Legion once more.

Finally, the Army of Light returns to Azeroth with the full force of the Sha’tari and the Titans. Wrathion finds inner power to save his world, and Anduin assists Prophet Velen with the channeling of Elune’s power.

Daily Hub-Crown of Aman’Thul (Dispatched to all corners of Azeroth to fight against the Legion’s strongest lieutenants.

Reputation-Regiment of the Princes, Liadrin’s Atonement/Sons of Lothar

Scenarios-Defense of Durotar, Stormwind’s Salvation, Fall of the Vale

Raid-Tomb of Sargeras

Patch 6.3-Assault on Argus

With the defense of Azeroth all but complete, the Army of Light turns its focus on the capitol of the Burning Legion, Argus. With the aid of the Sha’tari Onslaught, the Pantheon, the Defenders of Azeroth, the Army of Light launches its final crusade against the Dark Titan’s forces prophesized long ago by Velen. A planned crash landing on Argus gives the champions the staging grounds they need to begin their assault on Mac’Aree

The dismantling of the Legion’s countless defenses surrounding Mac’Aree has been completed. The innumerable tides of demons have been staved by the bravery of fallen heroes and champions. All that remains of the host of the Burning Legion remains in the tortured shadow of Mac’Aree, once noble capitol of the Eredar. The full power of Kil’Jaeden guards the city and the Burning Citadel, but there are whispers of an even greater threat whose even mention puts the stoic warrior Aggramar into a fearful unnerve.

New Zone: Mac’Aree

Scenarios: The Manari Courtyards, Eredun Gardens

Dungeons: Deceiver’s Temple, Defiler’s Hall

Raid: The Burning Citadel (Final boss Kil’Jaeden)

Patch 6.5-The Dark Titan

Argus was a ruse. With the main forces of the Army of Light and their supporters on Argus, Sargeras launches his final assault on Azeroth. The unleashing of the Old Gods has torn the ground asunder and sent the world’s denizens into insanity. The Dark Titan himself is grappling with the sheer terror of the Old Gods, keeping the madness at bay only by unimaginable fury. The Pantheon’s full power might make a match for Sargeras, but what hope lies for a world consumed by the Old Gods?